The Blackhawks and defenseman Ville Pokka are negotiating a new contract, according to a source.

Pokka’s entry-level contract is set to expire and he’d become a restricted free agent on July 1. The Blackhawks acquired Pokka, 23, from the New York Islanders as part of the Nick Leddy trade in 2014.

Pokka has been one of the Blackhawks’ top defensemen for the Rockford IceHogs in the AHL the past two seasons, but he’s been unable to get a chance in the NHL. He had 10 goals and 35 assists in 76 games for the IceHogs in the 2015-16 season and six goals and 24 assists in 76 games for the IceHogs last season. He also played the 2014-15 season for the IceHogs.

Pokka was hoping to make his NHL debut this past season, but a lower-body injury derailed his offseason workout plans and he endured some inconsistencies throughout the 2016-17 season. He began the season by representing Finland at the World Cup, but went on to struggle with the IceHogs early in the season. His game did improve later in the season.

The Blackhawks understand Pokka could be frustrated by remaining in the AHL for so long.

“I think the case with Ville, sometimes it can be mentally taxing when you feel like you’re in a situation where you’re not getting an opportunity,” Blackhawks assistant general manager Norm Maciver recently said. “Sometimes it’s very tough to play through that. We still think there’s something there. We haven’t given hope up on Ville. He still needs to continue to put in the work. Again, he’s 22 years old. It’s not like he’s well past his prime. He’s got a lot of attributes that most NHL defensemen have and that he still needs to continue to work on.

“He’s been in Rockford three years. Sometimes mentally it can be tough on a player to be in the same minor league city for three years, especially in today’s NHL. It’s something you need to continue to fight through, and we need him to continue to work on some things. We still think Ville has a chance at some point to be an NHL player.”

Pokka is a right-handed shot, and the Blackhawks don’t have many of those in the organization currently. Brent Seabrook, Michal Rozsival and Trevor van Riemsdyk are the right-handed shots returning from last season’s team. Van Riemsdyk could be selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft on Wednesday. The Blackhawks also recently signed Jan Rutta, a right-handed shot, from the Czech Republic.

The IceHogs do have a couple of right-handed defensemen. They recently signed Robin Press, a former Blackhawks prospect, and Darren Raddysh, who previously played for the OHL’s Erie Otters, to AHL contracts. Both players would have to sign NHL contracts if the Blackhawks wanted to promote them.

Scott Powers is the lead hockey writer for The Athletic Chicago. Previously, he covered the Blackhawks and the White Sox for ESPN Chicago. He has also written for the Daily Herald and the Chicago Sun-Times and has been a sportswriter in the Chicagoland area for the past 15 years. Follow Scott on Twitter @byscottpowers.